1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an improved and economical method and apparatus permitting a skier to grasp the grip of a ski pole by using a grip having integrally formed hooks thereon and a glove having loop material thereon so that when the glove touches the ski pole grip, the ski pole and the glove are removably attached to each other.
2. Description of Related Art
It is, of course, well known that skiers use ski poles to both help maintain their balance and for timing turns during skiing. Similarly, hikers also use walking sticks for balance purposes. Traditionally, the ski or walking poles are made of metal or other material and are provided at one end with a shaped grip, usually formed of a resinous material. Typically, the grip is provided with a relatively large loop or strap of some material, such as perhaps leather, cloth, or flexible plastic attached at one or more places to the grip. The user inserts a gloved hand through the strap (or first inserting the bare hand and then putting the glove on afterwards) then the user may grasp the pole grip during use. For years, a single point attachment strap loop arrangement was found to be desirable. However, this system did not provide firm support for the skier's gloved hand unless the strap loop was adjusted snugly around the hand. However, such snug adjustment would make the strap loop difficult to enter and exit. This is frequently done when either a skier falls or is getting ready to enter a chair lift and the ski poles must be removed from the skier's hand and wrist.
Various patents depict devices providing for adjustability of the straps and loops to enable the skier to more easily remove the hand from the ski grip strap but in many instances, the strap then is too loose to adequately support the skier's hand on the grip. Straps are difficult to get into, especially on cold days when one does not wish to remove a glove or mitten, but they also may tend to increase the likelihood of injury as the ski pole continues to be held to the skier's wrist during a fall, particularly thumb injuries. The use in certain devices of a clip type mechanism also can be inefficient because it requires difficult alignment and may require the free hand; it also can create problems if snow or ice forms in the clip receiving receptacle during periods when the clip is separated from the ski pole grip.
Examples of complex strap and buckle arrangements for this purpose are found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,997,039 and 6,386,588. Also, there has been patented a more complex mitten arrangement provided with multiple straps to secure a handicapped person's hand to a ski pole, one such device being illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,743. Another version of a glove with an integrated hand loop wherein the loop snaps into the pole grip, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,282. All of these devices are costly and are complex to make and suffer from various inefficiencies.
Another alternative arrangement in lieu of a strap includes the use of a C-shaped type grip in which the hand fits inside C-shaped members formed integrally with the grip and which permit the hand to easily slide into the grip and which are sufficiently flexible to enable the hand to “pop out” during a fall. However, even in those instances, because of the different types of gloves and mittens and the size of the skier's hand, such devices are not universally effective in holding the hand firmly on the grip.
It, therefore, is advantageous to provide means which will permit relatively secure attachment of a glove or mitten (hereinafter the term “glove” will be used generically, except where clear otherwise, to cover both gloves and mittens) of the user to the ski pole grip and without the use of a strap, C-shaped grips, or snap receiving receptacle. In addition, the present invention permits the use of a formed grip that is universal and can be used with either the right or left hand and with other advantageous features that are normally found in formed grips. For example, forming a platform at the bottom of the grip handle to partially support the heel of the skier's gloved hand, or a knob-like surface at the top of the grip for use in lifting and/or hand alignment.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the ski pole grip system is universal, meaning that it is not necessary to produce a separate right hand grip and left hand grip. The present invention permits integrally forming the hook arrangement on various locations on the grip during grip formation so as to provide adequate support for the right or left hand palm of the user.
It has been known to use hook and loop type fastening means for various purposes in the sportswear field, including in the skiing area. For example, the top strap of ski boots frequently is provided with hook and loop fasteners in order to tighten the very most uppermost cuff portion of the boot at which no buckle is placed. Hook and loop type fasteners also have been used to fasten shoes and for other purposes. To applicant's knowledge, however, such devices that are attached to an object require either the use of an adhesive and/or a method of sewing or welding a portion of the hook or loop material to the object.
In the case of a ski pole grip, such hook and loop arrangements heretofore have not been deemed feasible for various reasons. First, fastening a flexible strip of hook-like material by an adhesive to a relatively rigid grip is likely to result in separation due to the significant differences in coefficients of expansion of the materials and the wide temperature differentials to which the grip is exposed. Moreover, the high friction caused by grasping or pushing on the grip also is likely to cause shear movement of the strip of hook material, if adhesively fastened. Moreover, it is not feasible to stitch a patch of hook material to the ski pole grip. The same disadvantages of course apply if the loop material were adhesively affixed to the grip.
Applicant is aware that there has been and patented and used, a technique by which a field of injection molded hooks is formed during the injection molding process of a larger relatively rigid resinous element. Such techniques are disclosed in detail, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,656,226 and RE 37,338, the disclosures of both of which are incorporated in full herein by reference.
While the present invention most advantageously employs integral molding of the hooks as part of the molding of the grip, it will be understood that though not as efficient and less likely to be as durable, existing ski pole grips may be retrofitted with strips of hook material adhesively applied, permitting continued use of the gloves having the loop material thereon with different ski poles not purchased as part of a system.
The loop material preferably is attached to at least a portion of the fingers or palm of the glove as desired. If the glove is in the form of a mitten without fingers, the loop material is attached to an upper portion of the palm and may be attached to a portion of the general finger area as desired. While the hook material could be placed on the glove, because it has a tendency to attach to other materials, it would be undesirable to have the glove inadvertently attaching to other materials and, therefore, desirably the loop material would be attached to the glove palm surface. Also because the loop material is relatively soft, it will not be abrasive if a user brushes snow or the like off of their face without removing a glove.
In addition to minimizing the cost of installation by integrally forming the hooks directly onto the pole grip during manufacture of the grip, another advantage of the present invention is the capability to provide the hooks on various locations, on the side or rear surfaces of the ski pole grip, thereby permitting use by either the right or left hand. The location is limited only by other surfaces that the manufacturer employs for other purposes. The present invention is particularly useful for children and novice skiers who are just learning to use skis and poles and frequently have difficulty in both getting hands through the prior art strap arrangements, as well as maintaining control of the poles with mittens. Similarly, the loop material, instead of being fixedly secured to the glove, may be formed on a tub or outer sleeve that slides over the glove surface, with cutouts for the thumb and/or fingers to pass through.
The present invention not only provides a quick and easy method of providing sufficient gripping connection between the skier's hand and the pole, but at the same time, permits an easy breakaway from the pole during a fall, as typically the tension required to separate hook and loop fasteners is significantly smaller than the amount of force that would cause injury.
Therefore, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a pole grip that will remain attached to the glove of a user without use of a strap.
It is a further object of the present invention to utilize hook and loop materials, with the hook material being associated with the pole grip and mating loop material associated with the user's glove such that when the user grabs the pole the grip is removably adhered to the user's glove.
It is a primary object of the invention to integrally form the hook material at one or more locations on the pole grip during the manufacture of the grip. Thus, the present invention relates to a pole and glove combination comprising a pole having a grip thereon; a field of hook materials associated with a portion of the grip and a glove having a loop material associated therewith for engaging the hook material on the grip, whereby the loop material will matingly engage the portion of the hook material associated with the grip when the user's glove grasps the grip.